Children are natural mindfulness creatures.

They often have the ability to come to their day with an openness and eagerness for exploration that are so important in mindfulness. They pay attention. They watch the clouds and notice tiny things.

Unfortunately, they live in an extremely fast-paced and high-stress society that does not offer them the same amount of "down-time" that previous generations had in childhood. The effects of more organized sports, more activities, and more achievement standards has left our little ones often deprived of time spent connecting with their inner world. Researchers are pointing to links when seeing rates of anxiety and depression disorders continue to rise.

Mindfulness for Children in a Fast-Paced, Nature-Deprived, and Digital World 

There are potential benefits to integrating mindfulness practice into family life based on the idea of the changing nature of modern childhood. This changing nature increases the need for mindfulness interventions and will be discussed based on three main themes:

* the increase in speed of life and subsequent stress

* decrease in free-play and time spent in nature

* the inundation of digital influence and distraction

Mindfulness can be an effective practice for parents and children to utilize to combat some of negative affects seen in today’s youth population.